Strumming On My Heartstrings
by bjaarcy
Summary: Blaine's interests have more often than not left him confused, always driving him to a safe place where he knows he can be content. It's not until Kurt Hummel waltzes into his life when he realizes that trusting himself might be worth it in the end. - AU where Blaine's convinced himself he's straight until Kurt shows up. RATING MAY GO UP!
1. Prologue: Never Been Kissed

natejruess on tumblr prompted "Blaine has completely convinced himself he's straight" and I went, "OH CHRIST THERE GOES MY MIND, FOLLOWING THE TRAIN THAT IS THIS VERSE." It starts back in s2 NBK, and goes on from there. I hope you enjoy! Title comes from Ed Sheeran's "Grade 8" :D

Disclaimer: I am not RIB+ nor am I Fox, and the dialogue comes straight from NBK!

* * *

This, by far, is _not_ Kurt Hummel's finest moment.

He's never been one to condone cheating of any kind, and after the Jesse fiasco from last year, spying is the last thing Kurt wants to do. If Kurt wins in anything, he wants to win because he and his talent are deemed superior, not because he played dirty.

However, he knows better than to argue with the boys. They wouldn't listen to his (albeit somewhat out there, but still completely fantastic) ideas for the mash up anyway. Better to placate them than to fight against it.

Besides, who was he to argue with "spying" (_checking out_) a club full of private school boys? He's already dealt with a horrible week. He figures the least he can do for himself is get out of the one place that makes him miserable.

(If he also happens to find out information about this private school that particularly interests him about the fact he wouldn't be tormented by his bullies at McKinley anymore, so be it.)

It takes him the rest of the morning to get out of McKinley, change into something that will hopefully help him blend in with the school crowd, and drive over to Westerville. Afternoon classes have just begun by the time Kurt steps into the grand halls of Dalton's foyer.

Dalton Academy is a huge school, Kurt soon finds out. He somehow manages to get onto the upper floor trying to look for anything like looks like a choir room, and ends up getting swept away by the swarm of boys heading into class for the next period. Kurt's rethinking about how well his spy techniques are working (clearly not – he's considering about just asking someone where the glee club is and hoping they'll buy his story that he's a new kid) when he finds the perfect person to ask.

"Excuse me," he says, tapping the boy who's checking his pocket watch – an actual _pocket watch_ – and sporting an unfortunate gel helmet. "Um, hi. Can I ask you a question? I'm new here."

The boy, now at the bottom of the staircase, looks up at him, stuffing his watch back into his pocket, and Kurt's view is suddenly filled with wide, golden eyes and such an innocent face. He looks on in pure fascination as the boy gapes at him momentarily (though, that could probably just be Kurt's overactive imagination, or the fact that he's being interrupted by a random person) before reaching a hand out.

"My name's Blaine," the boy – _Blaine_ – says, as Kurt takes his hand and replies with his own name.

"So, what exactly is going on?" Kurt asks once they drop their hands. Now that he thinks about it, everyone seems to be rushing towards _somewhere,_ not their classes.

"The Warblers!" Blaine replies enthusiastically with an equally enthusiastic smile. "Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance at the senior commons. Tends to shut the school down for a while."

Cute as Blaine may be as he makes a face when he says this, Kurt can only stare surprised at the rush of boys making their way down the hall towards what Kurt can guess are the senior commons. A school actually excited for their glee club's impromptu performance? It's something Kurt can only _dream_ of.

"So, wait, the glee club here is," Kurt begins, still trying to wrap his mind around the idea, "kinda cool?"

Blaine looks at him with a smile but somewhat incredulous look on his face, as if glee clubs being cool were a normal thing.

"The Warblers are, like, rockstars," he says. Kurt raises a brow at that, both because _either this guy is totally exaggerating or totally insane_, and because _what kind of glee club is treated like _rockstars_?_

Kurt barely has any time to think when Blaine takes his hand, saying, "Come on, I know a shortcut."

Kurt can only be pulled along as Blaine leads him down a hallway, his hand warm, soft, and so inviting. There's no one around the hallway Blaine takes Kurt down, and Kurt's left behind to simply go with it, taking in the beautiful corridors of Dalton Academy and the way his hand fits into Blaine's.

Blaine only lets go of Kurt's hand when they reach a large doorway that Blaine opens for the both of them. Kurt takes in the amount of students around, and he realizes they've reached the senior commons. Boys everywhere are greeting each other or clearing the area for where Kurt's assuming the Warblers will perform.

Everyone but him is in their uniform.

"Oh," Kurt says, hoping that his despair doesn't show as he adjusts his bag to cover himself, "I stick out like a sore thumb."

"Next time don't forget your jacket, new kid," Blaine teases at him, fixing his lapel. "You'll fit right in," oh, and Kurt can _so_ hear the wink in Blaine's voice. Kurt can barely register the fact that Blaine passes his bag off to someone – because _oh god, was Blaine _flirting_ with me?_ – when Blaine says, "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Kurt makes a face after Blaine, barely listening to a group scatting in the background until Blaine begins to sing.

"_Before you met me, I was alright but things we're kind of heavy..._"

Blaine is the lead vocalist of the Warblers.

The fact doesn't fully hit Kurt until later that, of all the boys he picks out in the crowd, he picks out the lead vocalist of the rivaling glee club. Instead, what he focuses on is how smooth and rich Blaine's voice rises over the rest of the club, the adorable faces he makes, and especially the way _everyone seems so at ease._

Unless he's in a competition, Kurt's never actually seen a crowd like this enjoy an impromptu performance. He was expecting Blaine's claims that the Warblers being rockstars to be an over exaggeration, but all Kurt's met with is a room full of boys enjoying a performance.

When he looks back at Blaine, Kurt doesn't even try to stop himself from pretending that Blaine's singing to him. He lets himself genuinely smile for what he feels is like the first time that week.

Maybe it should be wrong, that he's loving a performance of a rival glee club, and pretending that a boy he just met is singing to him, but Kurt feels himself truly relaxing for the first time in a long time, enjoying himself and smiling bright.

Kurt claps excitedly when the performance ends, Blaine taking the congratulations and praise with ease, and Kurt is unable to stop himself from smiling and giving praise of his own.

Things die down considerably after a few minutes, people breaking off into their respective classrooms. Kurt follows Blaine – who has an off-period now – into another corridor, two of his friends who also have off-periods flanking him. The three Warblers grab drinks, and Kurt sits down gingerly, feeling even more out of place now.

"Latte?" Blaine asks, pushing a cup towards him once everyone's seated. Kurt takes it with a silent 'thank you' as Blaine introduces his friends, Wes and David, respectively.

"It's very civilized for you to invite me for coffee before you beat me up for spying," Kurt says tightly, trying to relieve the anxiety he's experiencing. Even though he's the one making the joke, he can hear just how forced the tease sounds to his own ears. Sometimes, you never know.

"We are not going to beat you up," Wes says immediately.

Kurt's hiding his surprise when David chuckles, saying, "You were such a terrible spy, we thought it was sort of endearing."

"Which made me think that spying on us wasn't really the reason you came," Blaine continues, putting his cup down after a sip.

Kurt takes a breath, steeling himself. Kurt's accepting that his gaydar is permanently faulty, but that doesn't really mean he can just _ask_...

"Can I ask you guys a question?" he says timidly. When the three uniform-clad boys look at him expectantly, he asks, "Are-are you guys all gay?"

When he's responded with laughter, Kurt half-expects the chuckles to be incredulous, as if they're asking, "_Is this guy kidding me? He thinks _I'm_ gay?_" without having to say as much. But their laughter is light, filled with genuine humour, and Blaine quickly replies, "No –"

(For a split moment, Kurt's heart lifts at the correction. Is this it? Has he found someone he could potentially be with?)

"– I mean, some guys here are, but us three have girlfriends," Blaine finishes.

Kurt gauges the drop in his stomach, taking a brief moment to himself to breathe. Blaine isn't gay, of course he isn't.

It was only wishful thinking anyway.

* * *

And there's your prologue! I hope to update soon, and if you follow me on tumblr (luminary-child), I'll be posting updates there as well. I'm debating if I should post this on LJ or Scarves and Coffee, but I guess I'll just see how the demand goes :3

bjaarcy


	2. Chapter 1: A Background and Redux

Alllllrighty, here is where straight!Blaine comes from! I think now would be a great time to point out that I am making Kurt and Blaine the same age in this AU. Also, please forgive any inaccuracies of the American education system; I'm from Canada, soz ;x This chapter's über damn long, but I hope you enjoy, comment, review, share, etc/ALL THE THINGS regardless!

(WARNING: Additional blangst and homophobia in this chapter!)

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Fox/RIB+ and, yes! Some of the dialogue comes straight out of NBK :3

* * *

_**February 2006**_

"Hi, Blaine," Blaine's mother greets him, as she does every day in a flat voice. "How was your day?"

Blaine shrugs, murmuring a quiet, "Fine," before trudging up the stairs to his room. His mother doesn't question him further, like she doesn't every day, and Blaine doesn't offer anything more.

Truth is, his day was anything but fine. It always is.

At eleven, Blaine is very much aware of how different he is from his peers. Unlike the other boys in his class, Blaine enjoys music, drama class, reading (especially the fashion magazines his mom reads all the time). He has wild curly hair unlike the boys in his class who have short, tamed locks. He's short for his age, as he's always been (a curse his older brother, Cooper, somehow managed to dodge), and even though his parents tell him he'll hit his growth spurt eventually, Blaine only wish that it happen sooner than later. It was more than enough for people to tease him about how different his interests were; having his height add to the mix would probably be more than he could handle.

Blaine only ever felt like he was part of the crowd was during gym class. Despite his size, Blaine was a quick learner, and enjoyed the adrenaline and competition associated with the games they played. He may have been a loner outside of this one class, but, despite the fact, most people were okay with him being on their team during a sport.

Some days, Blaine expects someone from his gym class to befriend him outside of it. But it hasn't happened yet.

So, for now, Blaine spends his days alone, getting good grades, singing, reading, and wishing to be a part of a group that clearly doesn't want him.

_**August 2007**_

_This is it,_ Blaine thinks, _this will be my year._

It's his first day at junior high, and Blaine is feeling optimistic. His growth spurt had begun the summer that passed and he's wearing a new outfit that he feels good in: sweater vest, slacks, button-up, bowtie. He feels confident, determined, hopeful.

Blaine's on his way to his locker when someone tall (someone definitely older than him) trips him. He's still not quite used to the fact his limbs are getting longer, and Blaine flails, landing ungracefully with his nose to the floor. The books and binders in his arms fly around him, creating a ruckus.

The guy guffaws out, "Ha, _loser._"

"I know, right?" someone (a friend, Blaine guesses) agrees. "And look at his hair! So stupid."

There's a collection of snickers follow the taunt, and Blaine blushes furiously, picking up his things quickly and trying to stay out of attention. From that day on, Blaine goes through an entire bottle of gel a week to plaster his hair down. It doesn't completely stop the teasing, but at least people stop picking on him about his hair.

_**May 2008**_

"_Freak._"

Blaine ducks his head down, trying not to let the blood rising steadily on his cheeks show. He hikes his bag up his shoulder, willing his feet to move faster down the hall. He can hear the snickers of whoever called him out along with their friend's, the sound making Blaine feel ashamed more and more by the second. Blaine speed walks down the hall, knowing full well that any teachers who are witnessing this are happily turning a blind eye to the tormenting.

When Blaine finally reaches his locker, he breathes a sigh of relief, unlocking it with quick movements. All he has to do is pick up his textbooks for the night and he can leave.

This, sadly, is not what happens.

What does happen is Blaine being bombarded with dozens of water-filled balloons falling out of his locker and splashing on him, soaking him from head to toe. He can only gasp for breath, blood rushing in his ears from the adrenaline. But even that can't block the uproar of laughter that comes from everyone in the hallway, and it rings in his ears.

Blaine bites his lips harshly, his eyes clamped shut and willing the tears to stay at bay. He breathes heavily through his nose, clenching his fists and hoping that he can get himself out of here as fast as he can without embarrassing himself even more. He wipes his eyes furiously, rubbing the water out of them. He forgets the reason why he comes to his locker, slamming it shut and running out of the school as fast as he can.

But Blaine's life simply isn't that easy.

Instead of vacating the scene quickly, he slips on a piece of ripped up balloon, falling in a splash onto the floor.

This makes everyone laugh even harder, people yelling names he hears on a daily basis.

"_Loser!_"

"_Dork!_"

"_Stupid!_"

Ignoring the pain shooting through the limbs he landed on, Blaine bites his lip harder, trying as carefully and swiftly as possible to _get out._

Even once Blaine's long gone from school, the laughter and taunts of his classmates stay loud and clear in his mind until he goes to sleep later that night.

_**October 2008**_

Maybe it was naïve of him to do, but despite the fact Blaine didn't get asked out to the Sadie Hawkins dance, he still opted to go stag because he didn't want to miss his first high school dance.

He should've just skipped it instead of going alone, like his father suggested.

But it's too late for that now.

Blaine suffers through another blow and whimpers helplessly, curling in on himself as the senior jocks of his school take turns to punch him. The blood rushing down his nose and mouth block the stench of the booze that radiates off the seniors.

"What a loser," one of them says, eliciting a roar of laughter from his friends as he punches Blaine in the gut.

"Fucking idiot," another one agrees, picking Blaine up before punching him as well.

Blaine grunts as another punch hits him across his jaw, and he's sure that he's dislocated _something_ when he hears the crack that results from the force of it. The sound only makes the others laugh.

"I bet he's a fag, none of the girls asked him to the dance. Even _they_ can tell he's a queer."

"Fucking fairy, all right. I mean," and the guy punches Blaine in the cheek, "take a look at his faggot hair."

Blaine's desperate to say something, to beg them to stop or at least tell them that _I'm not gay, I just don't have any friends, girl or otherwise, please stop please._ But he can't. He can't even feel his face anymore.

Blaine had prayed, in a moment of desperation early on, for him to die so the pain would end. But when the beating does cease, even for a second, Blaine panics, breath hitching because now he's expecting even worse to come.

When he drops to the floor, in a daze, he only barely manages to catch one of the jocks spitting on him, demanding in a hard voice, "Next time, don't fucking come to any of our dances, freak."

"That's what you get for coming alone, loser," another adds.

That's the last thing Blaine hears before he blacks out.

_**October 2009 – a different night**_

Blaine's been awake and conscious for several days now, and he's been wrapped up in several bandages for even more. He's got a dislocated jaw, a broken rib, sprained wrist, and bruises all over himself. It could've been worse, he knows this, but it infuriates Blaine how bad he was beaten up.

Even worse, his family isn't doing anything to stop the bullies who did it.

"What do you mean you're not pressing charges?!" Blaine had yelled when he found out. The nurses tried to calm him down, tell him that his erratic heartbeat would not help with his body to heal, but he couldn't give a lesser care. His tormenters weren't being brought to justice, and his parents were _okay_ with that.

His mother had not replied, but his father stated, "We're transferring you to a private school. The boys that hurt you are being dealt with and –"

"But _why_ aren't you pressing charges, Dad?" Blaine had begun to sob.

His father had shut his lips tight, forming a straight line before gruffly answering, "You didn't listen to me, Blaine. I told you you shouldn't have gone alone."

Blaine gripped his sheets tight, ignoring the pain shooting through his fingers. "So you think I _deserved_ it?!"

"You're father's just saying that we don't want this to get any messier than it already has, Blaine," his mother had finally answered.

Since that argument, the only person of family Blaine's spoken to in the last few days is Cooper. Though Blaine sometimes resented the way he was always in his older brother's shadow, it was Cooper who had calmed Blaine down after the fight, easing him into the idea of moving schools. Blaine eventually agreed, though reluctantly, and Cooper had stayed by his side through everything going on.

Still, it angers Blaine that the bullies had hurt him so bad, beaten him so furiously for being different that he ended up in a hospital bed. It infuriates him that his parents don't want anymore unnecessary attention brought upon them, unable to stand up for their son.

The nurses have to sedate him from time to time to get Blaine sleeping or else he's up all night being angry at the person he's disappointed in most of all:

Himself.

_**January 2009**_

Dalton Academy and Crawford Day are brother-sister schools, Blaine had learned on the first day of his transfer. Once in a while, the schools collaborated and held co-ed assemblies or workshops for a day.

Blaine bit his lip, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he looked around the gym from his lonely corner. Even if Dalton and Crawford had zero-tolerance policies, sometimes he couldn't help but steel himself for things that could come his way. No one had yet to hurt or bully him, but it was second nature for him to brace himself during large gatherings now.

The only large gatherings Blaine felt comfortable in so far since his transfer were during Warbler meetings and rehearsals. He had noticed the group giving an impromptu performance in the cafeteria during lunch one day and noticed how every member afterwards were treated: so high on a pedestal it was like they were celebrities.

Blaine knew he had a voice, and if joining such a large club meant he could be treated the same way the boys in the glee club were being treated, then he would try his hardest to do it.

It turned out, Blaine actually didn't have to try that hard to be accepted into the Warblers, despite the fact he tried out halfway into the year. Everyone praised him during his audition, and solos were easy for him to come by not long afterwards. He made a few friends – like sophomores, Wes and David – and was treated like someone who belonged.

It felt like a blessing to Blaine sometimes.

Still, during assemblies like these, Blaine knows better than to interrupt his friends as they flirted with the girls from Crawford Day, not wanting to impose or cramp their style in fear of being ejected from the group. So Blaine always stayed off to the side, participating (but not really) during the workshops.

Since he didn't pay attention to the headmaster when he explained the co-ed workshop for the day, it startles Blaine when someone behind him taps his shoulder, asking, "Why are you alone? Do you not have a partner?"

Blaine turns around, surprised that somehow managed to sneak up on him.

"Um, I, um," Blaine starts, but he finishes with the syllable, looking away because how much more lame can he get? He simply shakes his head, hoping that his answer will be enough for them.

When Blaine looks up again, he realizes that whoever snuck up on him is still there. The person who taps Blaine is a student from Crawford Day, short, dark haired, clad in her uniform though paired with a bright headband that doesn't exactly match.

The girl ignores this, giving Blaine the onceover before sticking her hand out and saying with a bright smile, "I'm Harmony, and I need a partner for this workshop, so now you're mine." Blaine barely has his hand in hers when she whisks him away, taking him further into the gym and loudly demanding for people to get out of her way.

That's how Blaine's first relationship begins.

_**September 2009**_

Blaine and Harmony are walking outside, just around the edges of Dalton's grounds, their hands swinging back and forth where they're joined together. Blaine smiles, breathing in the warm not-summer-anymore-but-not-quite-fall air, turning to look at Harmony, who hums quietly.

They've been dating for a few months now, kept their relationship steady through the summer. His friends are impressed by how quickly he'd managed to keep a solid relationship already, and some days Blaine wonders the same thing.

Still, that doesn't mean dating Harmony is exactly _easy_ for Blaine. Harmony's the type of person who knows what she wants, how she wants it, when she wants it, and how to have it hers. She's a force with a personality Blaine sometimes guesses is bigger than the state of Ohio. A performer, Harmony's part of Crawford Day's choir (though not show choir, to her often vocally displayed disappointment) and takes every opportunity she can get to shine.

It's a lot Blaine has to deal with, and some days he and Harmony argue a lot because he never feels like he has any say about anything. She makes a lot of their decisions, which Blaine doesn't mind for the most part, but more often than not they're irrational or hastily made. Sometimes, they also argue about Blaine's insistence on playing things safe, shamelessly afraid of the consequences.

It's hurtful (and the truth), and having Harmony storm out of Blaine's dorm at Dalton is something everyone in his hallway is already used to now. That, or they find Blaine in Dalton's gym, having snuck in to take his anger out on the punching bags.

Not to say that Blaine's a perfect boyfriend, either. The course of his and Harmony's relationship is mostly a symbol of how hopeless he is at romance, how he lacks and fails to meet Harmony's expectations. She's come to accept that he's no Romeo, and they both know that they love each other, though it still makes Blaine angry with himself to know that he can't be what she wants all the time.

But for all that, Harmony's also the only person who really got to know and understand Blaine. She sticks up for him when people get nasty. She's confessed about how much of an outsider she felt at her old school before transferring to Crawford Day. She knows firsthand what it's like to be treated differently because of her interests. She understands what he's been through – or at least some part of it – and that, more than anything, is what Blaine loves most about his girlfriend.

"You've been staring at me for the past five minutes, Blaine," Harmony points out, pulling Blaine out of his stupor. "What are you thinking about?"

"You," he answers truthfully, resulting in her smiling brightly at him, and, yes, sometimes Blaine _can_ get this romance stuff right too. She playfully pushes at his shoulder, and he chuckles, gripping her fingers tight where they're laced with hers.

"Remember how we got together?" Harmony says then, completely out of the blue.

Blaine chuckles softly, replying, "Yeah, you said, 'We should date, I think we should date,' after you insulted some guy who was picking on me at the mall about – two? I think it was two – months after we struck up a friendship."

She huffs, her lips forming a pout when she says, "Well, when you put it like that it takes the drama out of my obvious passion for you."

Blaine just shakes his head, still smiling when he says, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He takes a moment to think about how he can make it up to her (it's clear she wants him to say something more appealing than how they _actually_ began their relationship) and tries, "What I mean to say is, you came to my rescue out of your _obvious passion_ for me, and I realized that the only way I could show my gratitude was by accepting your proposition at a relationship."

Harmony pushes his face away with her free hand as she laughs, shaking her head and saying, "You're ridiculous." She shakes her head before leaning into Blaine, giving him a quick peck before whispering, "But I love you anyway."

Blaine grins back, saying, "Love you too."

_**May 2010**_

"_Have a great summer, Blaine!_"

"_See you later!_"

"_Yo Blaine, text me, okay?_"

Blaine chuckles, waving his friends goodbye as they exit the foyer. He sinks back into the seats in Dalton's foyer, waiting for Cooper to pick him up for the summer. Boarding this year definitely took a load of the commute he had to travel to get here, but he missed home too.

Boarding this year wasn't the only change Blaine had made though. The past year changed Blaine in so many ways. Not only did he become an integral part of the Warblers, his popularity within the group had also skyrocketed his popularity outside of it.

People didn't bully Blaine anymore. People _liked_ him.

His social status only increased once he joined Dalton's sports. Now along with Warbler rehearsals and meetings, there were fencing matches and polo practices. Like Cooper, he had also taken up boxing and ended up creating the Dalton branch of Fight Club.

(Unlike his older brother, however, who boxed because he deemed it "pretty cool", Blaine had taken it up to alleviate the anger he always felt when he thinks about his past and the tormenters who chased him away. It's something Blaine's come to regret, and he knows that if he ever gets the chance to do it all over, he'd stick it out, fight the oppressors who bullied him so much.)

Blaine still keeps to himself a lot. Most of his teammates or clubmates are more his acquaintances than actual friends, but he was at the very least liked by them, which was a lot more to say than how he was before he transferred to Dalton.

He's still smiling when someone plops into the seat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Hey," Blaine says, looking down at where Harmony flopped onto him. He gives a quirk of a smile, and when she looks up, she gives a small one back.

"You're calling me tonight, right?" she asks him, her smile dropping and her face serious. Blaine, however, continues to smile on.

"I do every night, don't I?" he replies.

"And you're coming to watch my performance this weekend?" As if Blaine has a choice.

"Wouldn't miss it for anything," he assures her. She nods, seeming content with his answers before settling into her seat more.

"I'm gonna miss you," she confesses quietly, turning her face away. It's a defense mechanism of hers, and Blaine's learned that it's better to let her do what she needs than to try and make her face him.

"I'll miss you too," he answers immediately, because he will. As much as she infuriates him sometimes, she's still his girlfriend and friend. "But we'll be fine, just like last summer."

The two turn to each other and Harmony gazes up into his eyes, Blaine doing his hardest not to look away under the scrutiny. He knows she just doesn't want to see any hint of a lie, and he figures it's the least he can give her. When she lets out a slow breath, nodding, they slink back into their seats.

"When are your parents picking you up?" she asks quietly.

"It's Cooper, actually," he says. "My parents will be waiting for me at home, I think." She hums a noise of a reply and the two stay silent until Cooper comes along and they kiss each other goodbye and part with quick 'I love you's.

On the car ride home, Blaine thinks about how drastically his life changed in the span of a few years. He moved schools, made friends, and has a steady relationship with someone who understands him. He may be hopeless at romance, still too cautious about a lot of things, and maybe he really isn't doing as much as he can with the opportunities he's met with sometimes, but Blaine's okay, _content_ with his life.

And that's fine with him.

_**November 2010**_

Kurt's not the greatest spy, that much Blaine is certain. He knows for a fact that even before you step into the halls of Dalton Academy for your first day, you're required to wear your uniform. Still, Blaine had seen the distance in Kurt's eyes on that staircase, watching in awe as Blaine was simply being friendly to him.

It's a look Blaine's seen in his own reflection before.

So he invited Kurt over to watch the Warbler performance. If Kurt came to spy, well, Blaine wasn't going to hesitate giving him a performance. And he wanted to know more about Kurt, wanted to figure out why someone who looked as put together as him came looking around in Dalton like it was a safe haven.

When Blaine, David, and Wes invite Kurt for lattes after the performance, all three of them on their off periods, it clicks together in Blaine's mind why Kurt came. It's clearly spoken through Kurt's silence when David mentions Dalton's no tolerance policy, and when Wes says everyone's treated the same way, no matter what they are.

"It's pretty simple," Wes finishes. Kurt goes completely speechless, looking like he's on the verge of tears.

Blaine tilts his head at Kurt, knowing that he needs a little space right now.

"Would you guys excuse us?" Blaine asks, and his friends depart with 'take it easy's.

Blaine waits for the two to leave, watching Kurt take deep breaths as he calms himself down.

"I take it you're having trouble at school," Blaine says, stating the obvious.

"I am the only person out of the closet at my school," Kurt confesses with a nod.

This doesn't come to Blaine as a surprise, or as an un-surprise, he's not like that, he doesn't assume. But he doesn't understand what that truly means either, being the only out person in an entire study body. But Blaine still has to control himself, fighting the urge to touch Kurt and tell him it's okay. It's still hard, being different from everyone else, and that is something Blaine _does_ understand.

"A-and I-I've tried to stay strong about it," Kurt continues, ignoring his stumble, "but there's this Neanderthal who's made it his mission to make my life a living hell... and nobody seems to notice."

Blaine takes another sip of his latte, trying to come up with something encouraging to say but falling short. So he goes for the truth.

"Look," he says, putting his cup down and looking right into Kurt's bright eyes (blue, Blaine notices, as they shine even brighter with unshed tears – it hurts Blaine to see Kurt like this and he doesn't know why), "I'm not gay, so I'm not going to say I know how you feel, because I don't understand how it's like to be the only out person in your school."

When Kurt's shoulders sink and he turns to look away, Blaine quickly continues, "But I do know what it's like to feel like no one seems to care about the way you're being treated. I know what it's like to be on the short end of someone's crap."

Kurt meets his eyes again, timid but willing to listen, and Blaine takes a breath, steeling himself for a confession he doesn't even tell people he knows at this school.

"I got taunted at my old school," he says, and he shakes his head, already getting angry at the memories, "and it really – _pissed_ me off." He takes another breath, continuing, "I wanted to complain to the faculty, but I knew they wouldn't care. They never did. They turned a blind eye to the bullying I went through and went, 'Sorry, we didn't see it.'"

This clearly puts Kurt down, and Blaine presses on with his story, shrugging.

"So I left. I came here, simple as that," he finishes, gesturing to Dalton's beautifully decorated room.

He feels like a total coward for admitting this to someone who's going through the same thing he went through, and Blaine looks away, ashamed that Kurt could see. Blaine takes a moment to think about advice – any advice – he can give Kurt before they part ways, so he opens his mouth again.

"So you have two options," he says. "I mean I'd love to tell you to just come roll here, but tuition at Dalton's sort of steep and I know that's not an option for everybody."

Kurt gives him an unreadable look, so Blaine pushes on, giving Kurt the advice that he should've taken himself so long ago.

"Or, you can refuse to be the victim," he says with as much conviction as he can manage, because he wants Kurt to believe it like he should have. "Prejudice is just ignorance, Kurt. And you have a chance right now to teach him."

"How?" Kurt asks, sounding on the border of convinced and curious.

"Confront him," Blaine answers, _like I should have with my own demons._ "Call him out." Blaine leans forward in his seat, finally saying, "I ran, Kurt. I didn't stand up. I let bullies chase me away, and it something I really, _really_ regret."

The two are met with a still silence then, and Blaine can see the curiosity (and maybe sympathy, though that might just be Blaine's imagination) in Kurt's eyes, and more than anything, Blaine really hopes that Kurt has the courage to take the advice he couldn't take.

**.x.**

Blaine isn't exactly one to reveal his life to someone he just met, but he's oddly comfortable in his friendship with Kurt. It's only been a few days, but already Blaine's become better friends with Kurt quicker than he has with some of people he's known since he transferred to Dalton. They even have a we're-just-friends date set up to watch RENT together. It's probably strange, but Blaine doesn't mind. He likes having Kurt as his friend.

In turn, Kurt reveals the troubles he deals with at a daily basis in McKinley. He tells Blaine about Dave Karofsky's (the guy who's tormenting Kurt) escalating bullying, the fact that no one does anything about it. Blaine listens intently and tries to be supportive as possible, to be understanding about what Kurt's going through. He may not be gay, but he does know how it is to be bullied. If anyone had reached a hand out to help him back then, Blaine knows he would've faired much better.

So he does this for Kurt.

**.x.**

_COURAGE,_ Blaine texts Kurt once more, pocketing his cell phone once he enters his class.

He hopes Kurt appreciates his efforts, trying to be a friend in a difficult time like what Kurt's going through. It makes Blaine feel better about himself, knowing he's doing what he can to help someone like this.

Taking his seat in Algebra class though, Blaine won't find out until later how, sometimes, advice can be given at the wrong times.

**.x.**

"He _kissed_ me," Kurt sobs, his voice cracking. Blaine bites his lips, tugging at his gel-stiff hair and regretting the false-hope texts he sent Kurt. "He _kissed_ me and he nearly did it twice if I-I didn't stop him."

Blaine flops into his bed, upset that his advice had caused this. The guy who's messing with Kurt clearly has some serious issues that he's too afraid to deal with, but Blaine's at a loss with what to do here. He's not gay, and he's certainly never dealt with anything like this. So he offers up a weak apology, desperately hoping that Kurt knows just how sorry he is about all this.

"Kurt, I'm so sorry, I –"

"I just," Kurt whimpers, continuing on as if Blaine never said anything, "I wanted to be like you said. I-I wanted to confront him and –" Kurt cuts himself off with another heartbreaking sob, and Blaine _aches_ knowing that he caused this.

"Shh," Blaine tries. Comforting may not be Blaine's strongest point, but he has to _try._ "It's okay. I'm sorry. I should have never told you to do that," he says quietly, comfortingly as he can.

"No, it isn't your fault – I just," but Kurt can't finish, his throat clearly too thick to properly end his sentence. Blaine's so humbled by Kurt, who dismisses this unfortunate situation as not his fault when it clearly is. He admires Kurt for that. "Can you – I know this is a lot to ask and-and you can say no but I don't know what to do anymore and –"

"What is it?" Blaine cuts him off. He knows he'll say yes to whatever Kurt asks him. It's the least he can do, after all, to make up for this.

Kurt's quiet for a moment, and Blaine's about to ask what he needs to do again when Kurt finally whispers, "Can you come to McKinley tomorrow? I-I want to confront him again, but I don't want to be alone and I don't know who else I can turn to anymore."

"Yes," Blaine answers before he really thinks about what this means now. He probably has to miss a class but English can wait for another day he supposes. "How about lunch? We'll talk to him out in the open so we don't have another repeat of – of what happened."

Kurt sniffs, ending the call with a string of '_Thank you, thank you so much, Blaine_'s before hanging up and revealing that he needs to freshen up before his dad finds him.

Kurt probably is asking Blaine a lot, but Blaine doesn't care. He just wants to help Kurt.

**.x.**

Blaine keeps his demeanor calm, trying as hard as possible not to run away or punch this mammoth of a football player. Even if he's shoving him and Kurt around, Blaine needs to talk to this guy, for Kurt.

"It seems that you're confused," Blaine says, hoping that what's coming out of his mouth makes sense. This isn't his forte, but he'll be damned if he can't _try_ to make the situation better. "And that's totally normal! This is a very hard thing to come to terms with," he continues, the words sounding okay to even his own ears, "and you should just know that you're not alone." Blaine's not speaking of himself, but he knows that there's others out there who are battling with what Dave's dealing with.

"Do _not_ mess with me," Dave says, pushing Blaine against the fence before Blaine even has a chance to think. Blaine makes his body motionless, his hands coming up in surrender out of habit, hoping with all that he can that this doesn't turn out for the worse. Blaine's small, and despite his time boxing, he's not in a gym right now, and this is a person, not a bag.

"You have to _stop_ this!" Blaine vaguely hears Kurt yell, pushing Dave off of him, and Blaine can only watch in wonder as Kurt stands his ground, angry and tall, as Dave looks to both of them before finally walking away.

The silence that they're left with is cold and unbelievably tense, and as Kurt walks to the staircase next to them to drop down on, Blaine says, "Well, he's not coming out any time soon." It sounds off to his ears, but trying to relieve the tension is the first thing on his mind right now. When Kurt says nothing, not even chuckling quietly, Blaine sits next to Kurt, asking, "What's going on? Why are you so upset?"

The latter is something Blaine is asking more for himself because if anything, Kurt should be proud of himself for standing up against a bully like Dave exactly how he did. Even now, Blaine isn't able to do what Kurt did, and he really respects Kurt for that.

When Kurt takes a shaky breath, finally revealing, "Because up until yesterday I had never been kissed. Or, at least, one that counted."

This makes Blaine pause, looking away as Kurt does. Despite all that Blaine's been through, his first kiss with Harmony had been of his own choice. It was something to remember, as all first kisses he thinks are, and he doesn't want to know how it feels like to have that ripped away from you.

He nods to himself, knowing that what Kurt really does need now is his friendship, and Blaine promises himself that he's going to try and be a better one for Kurt.

Blaine pats Kurt carefully, hoping that what comes out of his mouth will at least take Kurt's mind off of the fact that he has so much to deal with.

"Come on," Blaine says, standing up and giving Kurt a smile, "I'll buy you lunch."

* * *

So, I hope y'all enjoyed this and reviews make my day! Come talk to me on tumblr (luminary-child) or keep up with how this story's coming along :D

xoxo bjaarcy


	3. Chapter 2: the Substitute

I took some creative liberty and moved around events that take place in the Substitute and Furt, but hopefully you'll still be able to follow along! Furt should be out shortly so I guess you'll find out soon ;D

Disclaimer: (Un)fortunately, I am not a money making owner of glee :(

* * *

"So," Kurt says after they exchange acceptable greetings, "how's the girlfriend?"

"Harmony," Blaine reminds him, chuckling. He hears Kurt wave it off in swift '_Right, right_'s as he drops into his bed, continuing, "But she's okay."

His roommate's out until curfew as always, and Blaine's exhausted. First a huge test, then Warbler rehearsal, and then date night with Harmony. He's been through a lot today. Perhaps a phone call before prepping for bed is only going to add to his fatigue, but it's his routine now. On date nights, he doesn't call Harmony goodnight because they do that in person before parting. So nights like these usually end up with calls to Kurt just before bed.

"Date night went well – only one outburst!" Blaine comments. It's the truth, mostly. It was actually more like one and a half, but after Harmony was given a free coupon to return any time at the restaurant she and Blaine went to, the second one had immediately vanished along with her complimentary slice of pie.

Kurt giggles, the sound high and bell-like even through the tinny receiver of his cellphone, and strangely pleasing to Blaine's ears. (Not that Kurt has a weird laugh, it's that it makes Blaine happy to hear it. Strange.) Blaine beams, glad to know he's been able to make Kurt smile.

"You know, she sounds a lot like my friend, Rachel," Kurt muses, and Blaine has heard this particular name enough times to know that Kurt's on the fence between good friends and sworn enemies with her. Like with the rest of their lives, little details like these – though mostly just passed on by one and never experienced by the other – are shared between him and Kurt now, easily transferring from one to another like it's been that way their entire lives. Blaine's never had a friend like this before, but he's glad that he does now. He never knew what he was missing out on.

"I'm hoping that means a good thing," Blaine says. "Harmony's a handful, but she's still my girlfriend."

"Oh, Blaine," Kurt teases, "you know I'm kidding."

And the best thing is, Blaine does, because he feels so in tune with Kurt already, so he says with a small grin, "I know."

**.x.**

Blaine smiles in disbelief, waving his friends goodbye as he heads to his dorm after Warbler rehearsal.

"Mercedes thinks were romantically involved?" Blaine repeats incredulously, the statement sounding even more ridiculous as it comes out of his mouth. It's mostly hilarious – because Blaine has a girlfriend, _duh_ – and oddly flattering.

Kurt just snorts – actually _snorts_ – and agrees, "I know! I told her you were already dating someone – a _girl_ – and she still assumes – that – that we're – !" Kurt cuts himself off as he bursts into laughter again, as if this is the funniest thing in the whole world. Blaine can only chuckle along with him, Kurt's laughter infectious even though they're about a town apart.

Blaine's almost at his dorm when Kurt finally collects himself, saying, "It's just, I can't believe she would guess that. I mean, you're with someone already and I – well, I'm me." It sounds self-deprecating and off to Blaine, hearing Kurt – who's always so confident about himself – say that he doesn't think he's dateable.

This makes Blaine pause in his tracks, his face turning serious when he says, "Kurt, don't say that. I think anyone would be honoured to be with you." _Even though we're not together that way, I can already tell how lucky someone is to have you,_ Blaine thinks to himself, but he doesn't dare say it out loud. Kurt sighs, already seeming to wave the issue off, and Blaine continues to walk again.

"Well," Kurt says, "wherever he is, he's definitely not in Lima, Ohio. So I have to get out of this cow-town before he finds me."

Blaine's finally at his room's door, unlocking it with his keys as silence takes over their conversation. Knowing there's a change of subject needed, Blaine animatedly asks, "So, I'm assuming you didn't miss last week's episode of Jersey Shore?"

This makes Kurt perk up immediately, answering enthusiastically, "Of course not!"

**.x.**

Blaine exits the theatre with his hands tucked into his pockets, speaking animatedly about the production until he turns to Kurt and sees the distance in his eyes. He and Kurt watched a production of RENT at the revival theatre, chatting amicably and singing along to the music all night long. Noticing that Kurt's car is still parked a ways away, and Blaine takes the opportunity to lightly shove his shoulder against Kurt's.

"Hey," he says with a smile, and Kurt turns to him as he snaps out of his daze to look at Blaine with a sheepish grin. "You've been looking like something's been on your mind the entire time we've been out. What are you thinking about?"

It's meant to be a gentle prod, hoping to coax Kurt into talking about whatever's bothering him (because something clearly is, now that he thinks about it – Kurt wasn't singing along as much as he could have, Blaine realizes), trying to be the supportive friend Blaine wants to be for him. When Kurt shrugs, it gets Blaine down because by that time they reach Kurt's car and he has to wait for them to shut the door before saying, "Come on, Kurt." He moves his hand towards one of Kurt's giving it a gentle pat before continuing, "I know something's on your mind."

He smiles again, pulling his hand back and waiting patiently for Kurt to answer.

Kurt quirks his lips to the side, thinking for a moment until he finally confesses, "It's my friend, Mercedes." Turning to look out the windshield, he continues, "I – I kinda blew my plans off with her to join you to watch RENT."

This makes Blaine blink twice, slowly taking in what's been revealed. As much as Blaine wants to be Kurt's best friend, he doesn't want to be a replacement for people who have been with Kurt longer.

"Oh," he eventually says quietly. He looks away, ashamed about the fact that his time with Kurt means he's taking someone else's time with him. Blaine had never meant to do that.

It surprises Blaine a bit when Kurt pats his hand this time, prompting Blaine to look at him when Kurt says, "It's-it's fine, Blaine. It's not your fault. I just mixed up the dates with one another and I didn't want to waste the money spent on the tickets."

Kurt gives him a quirk of a smile, one that Blaine's beginning to familiarize himself with, and gives a smaller one back.

"I guess," Blaine reluctantly agrees. He still feels really bad about the fact that he's mostly the reason why Kurt had to blow his friend off, so when the idea pops into his head, Blaine doesn't thinking twice before enthusiastically suggesting, "What if we have a get together?"

Kurt furrows his brows, looking at Blaine curiously. "Get together?"

"Yeah," Blaine says, nodding his head. "You, me, and... Mercedes? –" and Kurt gives him a nod for getting the name correct, "– can get together, maybe during dinner one night. I'd love to meet your friends."

"She's my best friend, actually," Kurt reveals in an almost-silent whisper, hanging his head in shame. Blaine takes a moment to recoil, think again about what this implies. It does make him feel worse, the fact that Kurt's best friend was blown off because of him, but it does make Blaine understand that he has the chance to make up for it now.

"Well then," Blaine says in a chirpy voice and another grin, "even more reason for me to meet her."

Kurt looks up at him with such a warm smile it makes Blaine feel strange, fuzzy, and all together new inside.

**.x.**

Blaine does end up meeting Mercedes for dinner with Kurt one night. They eat out in Lima's own Breadstix. Kurt and Mercedes are happy to have dinner a little early so Blaine can still make it back at Dalton in time for curfew.

Blaine's enjoying himself. He's found that it's really easy for him to do if Kurt's involved. They enjoy the same things, appreciate each other's opinions – even Blaine's own guilty pleasures, like Broadway and Vogue. (The only other person in the world who knows about both is Cooper, because he's caught Blaine several times sneaking things related to both around his room.) Blaine's getting easily used to conversations like these, immersing himself so much into them that he forgets his surroundings sometimes.

Like now, as Blaine forgets about whom he's with. Mercedes has been left out of the conversation for the better part of their dinner. It's actually a bit shameful on his part, but Blaine was really enjoying his conversation with Kurt.

He doesn't notice the fact until he faces Mercedes, asking, "What do you think, Mercedes?"

Blaine watches as her head snaps up from where it was sucking on her straw, immediately replying, "About Don't Ask, Don't Tell?" Kurt corrects her, and Blaine only continues to watch as the two try to make the other feel at ease, since it's clear that neither Kurt nor Mercedes feel entirely comfortable.

"I'm sorry," Mercedes says eventually, "I kinda just blanked out."

"Well, don't apologize," Blaine immediately says. "We should talk about stuff that you're interested in too!" It's the least he can do since he wants to make a good impression on Mercedes. Besides, some of her interests might be Kurt's too, right?

This makes Mercedes perk up vastly, smiling wide and seeming ready to talk about something she wants to discuss, until Kurt suggests, "I know! Let's play a game!"

Blaine doesn't even have time to react when Kurt continues, "Okay, on the count of three, name your favourite 2010 Vogue cover. Okay, 1, 2, 3!"

It's actually quite uncanny that Blaine and Kurt manage to say (yell, actually), "Marion Cotillard!" at the same time.

"Oh my god, stop it!" Blaine says with a shake of his head. His answer had come automatically, and despite how embarrassing it should have been to reveal that he _knows_ stuff like this, it actually just makes him relieved. He's just glad someone out there knows how he feels.

Blaine's still talking about just how amazing Marion is as Kurt agrees enthusiastically, the two of them already dwindling back into their own little world. The conversation drifts from other Vogue issues to magazines in general, and Blaine eventually gets to the point where he reveals he also reads Sports Illustrated for college football.

It's not until Kurt turns back to Mercedes, who's staring at them with a dazed look on her face, that Blaine realizes they've managed to exclude her again.

"Mercedes," Kurt calls, and it's clear that she wasn't even paying attention to them when her head shakes into a smile that Blaine knows is forced.

Hoping to avoid another awkward moment, Blaine jumps in, "I was just talking about the Buckeyes – I'm a college football fan. I like sports too, you know."

"Oh," Kurt says, "fashion and sports – I always said it was possible!" They give each other a friendly high five, but they lose Mercedes again because by then she's flagging down a waitress, requesting for tots.

**.x.**

_From Kurt, 5:08pm  
_I'm so sorry about Mercedes last night. She's been a little off lately :/ she says she's sorry too

_From Blaine, 5:08pm  
_it's fine, i feel kinda bad we left her out so much actually

_From Blaine, 5:09pm  
_please give her my apologies!

_From Kurt, 5:10pm  
_Always the polite one. But she said "apology accepted, I wanna meet him again" and other stuff

_From Blaine, 5:11pm  
_kurt, are you saying you /don't/ appreciate my politeness? :O

_From Blaine, 5:13pm  
_but i'd love to meet her again too. hopefully things work out better and it's not so awkward

_From Kurt, 5:14pm  
_Now you're just fishing for compliments, Blaine. But yes, she said she does too

_From Blaine, 5:15pm  
_are you relaying our entire convo with mercedes right now, kurt?

_From Kurt, 5:18pm  
_Hello Blaine, this is Mercedes. I stole Kurt's phone from him because I'm his house rn and I've been paying attn to ur convo w/ him the entire time

_From Kurt, 5:19pm  
_But I really would like to meet you again, and I am srry bout last night

_From Blaine, 5:24pm  
_oh.

_From Blaine, 5:24pm  
_and apology accepted!

_From Kurt, 5:43pm  
_UGH! Sorry! Mercedes wouldn't let me have my phone back until I kicked her out

_From Blaine, 5:37pm  
_haha, it's fine. a bit of a shock, but i'm glad she still likes me :)

_From Kurt, 5:38pm  
_Because that's the only thing that matters here, Blaine.

_From Blaine, 5:38pm  
_of course! ;D

* * *

I hope you enjoyed it, and review, fave, share, DO ALL THE THINGS :D

xoxo bjaarcy


	4. Chapter 3: Furt

Soooooooo, I clearly lied about updating soon. lol, nothing new~ I HOPE Y'ALL ENJOY THIS /o\ Major thanks to nicolecriss because she da best. Also, this is now crossposted onto my LJ account (shortstaccck) so if you prefer to check it there, feel free!

**Disclaimer:** Why is Klaine even broken up still I don't understand -

* * *

"It's official: I've got a wedding to plan!" Kurt says excitedly over the phone.

Blaine blinks in surprise; he hadn't quite expected Kurt to say that. Adding the fact that Blaine knows bits of Kurt's father's love life (widowed since Kurt was eight, but dating Kurt's ex-crush's mother for a few months) only adds to his state of shock.

"Wow, that's-that's amazing!" Blaine says, the answer coming out automatically. Weddings are things to be celebrated after all, right? "Wait, did you just say _you_ have a wedding to plan?"

"Yes!" Kurt confirms, and Blaine can _hear_ Kurt's megawatt smile over the phone. "Dad and Carole, that's Dad's girlfri – I mean, _fiancée_ – told me. They won't let anyone else plan it!"

"Wow," Blaine repeats. "_Wow._ Uh, good luck, I guess. That's going to be crazy!"

"No, it will be _fabulous,_" Kurt corrects, and Blaine rolls his eyes affectionately.

"Of course."

"Do you think you can come?" Kurt asks suddenly. "I'd love for you to meet my dad."

If the fact that his friend's dad is getting married hasn't thrown Blaine off yet, that does. Blaine's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets with how wide they are now.

"I – what?" he asks, because he isn't entirely sure if he caught that.

"Can you come the wedding?" Kurt repeats himself, and, yup, Blaine heard him right.

"I guess," Blaine replies. "Depends on the date, I think."

"Oh, it'll probably be around the weekend after next," Kurt replies, and Blaine literally takes his phone away from his ear to stare at it before putting the receiver back.

"Kurt," Blaine says incredulously, "are you actually suggesting that you're going to plan a wedding in less than _three weeks?_"

"No, I'm asking if you can come to the wedding I'm suggesting to plan in less than three weeks."

Not knowing what to say to that, Blaine simply answers, "Yeah, yeah! I'm pretty sure I can make it."

"Oh, _perfect!_ I have just enough people to invite for the venue now!"

"Do I need a plus one?" It's mostly for Kurt, because Blaine wouldn't mind going as Kurt's plus one. In his mind at least, Blaine thinks it would be nice to attend a wedding with someone, instead of being on your own.

Kurt takes a moment to consider it before answering, "I guess you could bring Harmony if you wanted."

Oh, he hadn't even _thought_ of that.

"Right," he says, "yeah, I'll bring her along."

"Great! I'll just add her to the list," Kurt happily confirms. "Oh, gotta go! Carole's got an appointment for a dress fitting I can't miss. Bye, Blaine!"

Blaine barely manages to throw out a quick "Bye!" before Kurt hangs up.

**.x.**

_From Blaine, 8:12am  
_hey, i haven't heard from you in a while, but i guess you're just busy with wedding plans. give me a call when you can!

_From Blaine, 12:39pm  
_kurt, how are things? are you okay?

_From Blaine, 9:56pm  
_kurt, i'm getting worried. please call or text me soon.

**.x.**

_From Kurt, 12:34pm  
_I hate my school

It's the first bit of contact Blaine's received from Kurt in days. Maybe his texts yesterday were annoying and borderline clingy, but Blaine _has_ been worried. Kurt had just completely stopped talking to him, and he didn't know what to do.

He doesn't want to bring up their abrupt silence, though, in fear of triggering another one by simply mentioning it.

_From Blaine, 12:39pm  
_having a rough day?

_From Kurt, 1:01pm  
_I just... really hate my school

_From Blaine, 1:12pm  
_call me during my off-period, if you can.

_From Blaine, 1:15pm  
_COURAGE

**.x.**

Most days now, if Blaine and Kurt want to meet up, Blaine drives over to the Lima Bean. It's actually right at the edge of town, and although it cuts down some of his travel time getting back to Dalton, it's still at least an hour away. Kurt's text had sounded urgent though (_Lima Bean at 5, please tell me you can make it_), and Blaine didn't think twice about coming.

Blaine barely has a chance to sit down at the table where Kurt's already fidgeting, not even opening his mouth before Kurt blurts, "What would you think if I went to Dalton?"

He blinks once, twice, then three times. Is that why Kurt needed to talk to him? Why couldn't it be done over the phone? Then again, if it's this urgent, there's a good reason why Kurt hadn't even bothered to say hello.

"Um," Blaine says, a confused look forming on his face, "it's a great school and you'd be –"

"But what would _you_ think if I went to Dalton?" Kurt presses, his eyes serious and searching.

Blaine purses his lips, turning the question over in his mind. He kind of wishes he had bought a coffee before taking his seat, if only to keep his fingers busy so he's not caught squirming, but it's too late for that now.

If Kurt went to Dalton, well, he and Blaine would most definitely end up being better friends than they are now. He'd show Kurt the ropes, reveal which hallways were free of hall monitors during when, and why Taco Tuesdays at Dalton weren't actually as great as the lunch ladies seemed to think. There's a lot Blaine could do if Kurt attended his school, and though this may be the answer Kurt may be looking for, Blaine knows better than to be excited about the fact.

If Kurt transfers schools, something is definitely _wrong._

"Kurt," he says, voice serious and his brows furrowing, "what's going on?"

Kurt looks away, crossing his arms and snapping, "Just tell me, Blaine." But Blaine just shakes his head, knowing now that something is _really wrong_ if Kurt's already upset.

"You need to tell me what's going on first," Blaine says in a calm voice. There's no reason for him to get angry too. He just needs to be here for Kurt.

He watches as Kurt breathes sharply through his nose, deep breaths that are meant to calm him down. His eyes are welling up with tears that Blaine hasn't seen Kurt shed since they met, his lips trembling to hold them back. When Kurt faces him again, he swallows, biting his lip and looking down into his lap before whispering something Blaine can't catch.

"What?" Blaine asks, leaning forward so he can get closer to Kurt. "Please tell me, Kurt."

Kurt huffs out another breath, this one sounding frustrated and still very upset, but Blaine manages to catch him muttering, "'tenedt'killme."

Blaine leans in even closer, begging softly, "What are you saying?"

Blaine's so close to Kurt's face that all he sees when Kurt lifts his face up to look into his eyes is Kurt's shining blue irises, now even more shocking with unshed tears.

"He threatened to _kill _me," Kurt whispers softly.

**.x.**

"So," Blaine says, using his foot to kick his room's door closed. He drops his bag into his bed before flopping into a seat. "How're things?"

"Seriously, Blaine?" Kurt replies, clearly annoyed.

"Sorry, I just –"

But how exactly does he put into words _Did that asshole do anything today? Are you okay? Is anyone _noticing?_ I wish I was there to help._ It's not exactly an easy task. Especially since his friend just received a death threat from a guy whose escalating violence is going by without so much as a slap on the wrist.

"I just," Blaine tries again, "I wish there was more I could do to help you."

Kurt's silent for a moment, and even though Blaine hasn't specifically said a single word about what Kurt revealed to him, on more than one occasion he's asked if Kurt was at the very least _okay._ He figures it's the least he could do.

"Well, I'm – I'm fine," Kurt answers coolly.

"Okay. Now how about you tell the truth?"

He hears Kurt sigh heavily through the receiver of his phone, and Blaine knows that this is taking its toll on Kurt. If anything, he knows how exhausting that is, to be avoiding people who torment you on a daily basis. Now with the added weight of a death threat? Blaine's surprised Kurt's held out for this long.

Kurt sniffles, just for a moment, and before Blaine gets the chance to ask what happened because Kurt's _crying,_ Kurt quickly says, "It's-it's just hard. He came up to me today and just took one of my things, and he – he was so... god, it was just _terrifying._"

Blaine bites his lip, a bit relieved that Kurt actually told him something instead of making Blaine drag it out of him, but he still needs to make sure.

"He – he didn't do anything, did he, Kurt?" Blaine asks, but the truth is he's afraid of the answer, the worst that could happen.

"No, no," Kurt says quickly, and Blaine doesn't care that he lets out an audible sigh of relief. "It was just – I'm afraid to go to school now," he whispers. "It's-it's not that I already wasn't before but now... _Blaine,_" Kurt says desperately, his voice cracking, "I don't know if I can _do_ this any longer."

He hears Kurt beginning to cry over the phone and there's nothing Blaine wishes more in that moment than to hold him and tell him it will be alright. But even if he could, Blaine doesn't know if he'd be telling the truth. He doesn't even know _how_ to make anything okay.

"Kurt," Blaine says, hoping more than anything he can be strong for Kurt because he certainly can't break down now, "I think you need to tell someone. This – this is getting really _bad,_ Kurt –"

"The current principal and my glee club teacher told me they can't do anything to help, Blaine," Kurt interrupts him in a stone cold voice. "It doesn't matter if I tell someone... nothing changes."

God, Kurt sounds so _defeated_ and Blaine's heart aches knowing that there's nothing he can do to stop it. So he offers what he can.

"You know I'm always a phone call away." It's pathetic, but what more can he do?

"I know, Blaine," Kurt says, and his voice is thankfully more even now, which means he's calming down. "Thank you."

**.x.**

_From Blaine, 12:24pm  
_i'm assuming dalton's still out of the cards?

_From Kurt, 12:26pm  
_Not a chance. I'm planning the budget of the wedding, and I know we can't afford Dalton on top of it

_From Kurt, 12:27pm  
_I should've never brought the subject up with you. I'm sorry

_From Blaine, 12:27pm  
_no, no!

_From Blaine, 12:28pm  
_i'm glad you did! i'm glad that you're looking for options

_From Kurt, 12:29pm  
_Option or not, it's one I can't take

_From Blaine, 12:31pm  
_i'm sorry

_From Blaine, 12:33pm  
_i wish there was more that i could do

_From Kurt, 12:35pm  
_You care. It's more than enough, Blaine

**.x.**

"My dad found out today," Kurt sighs over the phone one afternoon, his voice exhausted.

Blaine doesn't even have to ask what Kurt's referring to at this point. "How?"

"He came over to my school during lunch so I could teach him and Finn how to dance," Kurt retells. "Karofsky came by and mocked me, and my dad saw. When he asked me what else was going on, he made me tell him."

Blaine sighs, rubbing the heel of his palm against his eye. He takes a breath, asking, "So what's gonna happen now?"

"We're meeting his Karofsky and his father tomorrow with the principal," Kurt answers, still sounding so exhausted and defeated. Blaine wishes that he could lift some of this burden of his shoulders, but he doesn't know how.

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Blaine tries, hoping that his chirpy demeanor can get Kurt's hopes up. It does most days, but Blaine's still having a hard time figuring out which days those are.

It's clearly not today, because Kurt just lets out a long, tired-sounding breath, saying, "I don't know. I just want this all to end."

Blaine bites his lip, not knowing what to say to make this better when Kurt finally says, "I have to go, Blaine. I have flower arrangements to make and Finn needs help with something about his tux."

"Yeah, of course," he replies, still unsure of what to do. All he knows is that he feels awful for not doing more. "Bye, Kurt."

"Bye."

**.x.**

Blaine's phone buzzes on his desk, where he sits in his dorm with his textbook. Deciding that whatever Wes wants him to do for tomorrow's rehearsal is better than Algebra, he picks it up and reads the message.

But the text isn't from Wes.

_From Kurt, 3:34pm  
_HE'S EXPELLED!

Blaine doesn't think twice before hitting the call button from the text.

"He's expelled?" he asks, before Kurt even gets a chance to say anything. "How? Are you okay? Oh my god, Kurt –"

"Yes!" Kurt exclaims, ecstatic and the happiest Blaine's heard Kurt since finding out about his father's engagement. "My principal expelled him once I told her what happened and – _god,_ I still can't believe _myself_ and –"

"Kurt, that's wonderful!" Blaine butts in, joyful for his friend. "That's amazing!"

"I know!" Kurt agrees, taking a long breath. "I feel like I can finally _breathe_ again."

"I'm happy for you," Blaine replies, smiling even though he knows Kurt can't see.

"Well, if it wasn't for you I don't even think I would've made it this far to see him getting expelled," Kurt says quietly after a moment. "So thank you."

"Any time," Blaine replies, promises, hoping Kurt knows that he really means it.

**.x.**

_From Blaine, 10:01pm  
_can't call tonight, date night went a little longer than usual. sorry! :(

_From Kurt, 10:11pm  
_It's fine, today's been exhausting anyway

_From Blaine, 10:12pm  
_long day?

_From Kurt, 10:14pm  
_Too long. But I'm fine. Jersey Shore reruns are keeping me entertained!

_From Blaine, 10:15pm  
_you're substituting me for trashy reality tv? kurt, that hurts! ;O

_From Kurt, 10:16pm  
_You're stupid

_From Blaine, 10:16pm  
_it's endearing!

_From Kurt, 10:17pm  
_And how that's possible is a mystery I will never solve

_From Blaine, 10:18pm  
_so i'll see you tomorrow?

_From Kurt, 10:22pm  
_12pm sharp! Don't forget: do NOT wear any blue or purple, it's going to clash horribly with the theme

_From Blaine, 10:23pm  
_of course

**.x.**

"Excellent wedding, I have to say," Harmony compliments quietly into Blaine's ear. "But the leads were a little off on their –"

"Harmony," Blaine warns in a low voice. "Wedding, remember? Not a competition?"

"But they're _your_ competition," she reminds him. Blaine gives her a look, and she shrugs, simply stating, "Just thought I'd remind you for Sectionals, Blaine."

Blaine rolls his eyes, shaking his head. _Always looking out for the enemy,_ he thinks.

Harmony's comments aside, Blaine's enjoying the Hummel-Hudson wedding. He sang along with the McKinley glee club as they walked down the aisle, smiled as Burt and Carole exchanged their vows, cheered during their kiss. Blaine hasn't officially met the man yet, but despite Burt's somewhat terrifying papa bear-esque demeanor, Blaine can see the gentleness in Burt's eyes. Carole seems to be a very kind woman too, if what she said to Kurt is anything to go by.

(Blaine's glad that Kurt has such a supportive family. Dysfunctional, perhaps, but supportive nonetheless.)

Once everyone makes their way into the reception hall, Blaine takes his seat with Harmony and a few other attendants who seem to be Carole's coworkers. Pleasantries are passed around along with their meal, and eventually, one by one various men and women go up to the stage for a speech about the newlyweds. Blaine smiles, catching Kurt's eye every so often and giving him a grin and a thumbs up, to which Kurt returns a relieved smile back.

Someone Blaine is almost 100% sure is New Directions glee club teacher finishes a great rendition of _Sway_ for Burt and Carole's first dance, and he calls up Finn – the giant of a step-brother Kurt's now managed to acquire – for a speech. It leads into a wonderful performance of _Just the Way You Are_, where Blaine is surprised by the fact that Finn dances openly with Kurt. Eventually, Harmony drags him onto the floor, and Blaine twirls her around with a chuckle, the both of them singing along with Finn.

They're on their way back to their seats when Blaine feels a tap on his shoulder.

"Hello," one of the brunettes in New Directions greets. "I'm Rachel Berry, co-captain of the New Directions, and I'd like to have a dance with you. You're the lead singer of the Warblers, right?"

Blaine nods mutely, but out of the corner of his eye, he can see Harmony fuming, her mouth dropping open to say something. _Here we go,_ he thinks.

"Excuse me," Harmony butts in, clearing her throat. "I'm his _girlfriend_ and –"

"Harmony," Blaine says, a hand reaching out to soothe her. He doesn't get a chance to speak further because then Rachel says, "Oh, I'm sorry. But don't worry, my boyfriend – that's Finn over there – knows that this will be strictly platonic."

She says it with such a sickeningly sweet smile, it almost freaks Blaine out how similar it is to Harmony when she's onto something. Which, now that he thinks about it, Rachel probably is.

"It's fine," he says to Harmony, his thumb rubbing slow circles on her hand. "You'll be okay?"

She rolls her eyes, a clear sign that this isn't worth her time anymore, a hand flapping him away. "Go," she says, and Blaine can see the quirk of Rachel's eyebrow out of the corner of his eye.

Turning to Rachel with a smile, he says, "Lead the way."

She claps excitedly before turning on her heel and skipping to the center of the dance floor. Blaine's just about to follow her when Harmony tugs on his arm, bringing his ear close to her lips and whispering, "At least get some good dirt on the glee club while you dance with her." Blaine gives her a look, which she only returns with arched brow, and he sighs, relenting.

"Only for you," he replies softly, kissing her forehead. He smiles at her, and she grins back, nodding her head to the dance floor where Rachel's waiting. Blaine walks over to her, hand reaching out, and asks, "May I have this dance?

**.x.**

Blaine's long since tuned out Rachel's ongoing chatter – which Blaine is 95% sure are fake plans New Directions are "using" for Sectionals – watching Kurt and Harmony talk quietly at their table.

He doesn't know what they're talking about (he's never been the best at reading lips), but they seem to be at ease – a relief, because Blaine feels bad for introducing them to each other so late. He watches as Kurt speaks, his hands moving animatedly, as Harmony nods her head in the way Blaine knows she's actually listening. He's glad that they're not arguing. Over what, Blaine isn't sure, but he's happy to know that two important people in his life (because that's what Kurt is now) are starting off well.

The song ends, and the two blondes and the really pretty Latina taking their bow before leaving. Blaine parts from Rachel, pretending that he doesn't see her pout, and claps.

"Thanks for the dance, Rachel," Blaine says pleasantly, "but I think my girlfriend's waiting for me now." He gives her a polite smile and a handshake.

"My pleasure, I have a duet with Finn anyways," Rachel says, giving Blaine's hand a pump where they're joined together. Blaine's beginning to leave when she calls out, "And remember: our plans for Sectionals are kept between us!" She gives him a very pointed wink and grin before skipping away to Kurt's step-brother.

Shaking his head, Blaine makes his way back over to his table, eyebrows rising in delighted surprise when he only sees Kurt sitting down.

"Hey," he greets, taking a seat next to Kurt's. Kurt smiles at him in reply, and Blaine takes a look around the table to find Harmony, but not seeing her around. "Where's Harmony?"

"Ladies room." Blaine watches as Kurt takes a sigh before saying, "I'm in your seat, I should probably go –"

"No!" Blaine interrupts. This is the first time he's gotten time to sit and _talk_ to Kurt. Blaine wants to know how he's holding up. "It's fine, really. Unless you have somewhere to go – ?"

Kurt shakes his head, and Blaine watches his styled hair bouncing slightly at the movement. For a brief moment, he wonders how angry Kurt would be if it got messed up.

"I _could_ check if my father has yet to sneak any desserts he's not allowed to have," Kurt ponders out loud, "but I suppose that could wait another moment or so." Kurt looks at him with a perfectly, slightly arched brow, tossing Blaine a tiny smile before looking back to the dance floor.

Blaine chuckles, a hand coming to rub at the hair on his neck. They sit with a comfortable silence between them, watching as Burt and Carole laugh and dance happily at the centre of the floor.

"The wedding's fantastic," Blaine eventually compliments, hoping the words sound as genuine as he means them to be. "You did great with it."

"Thanks," Kurt chuckles, giving Blaine another smile, and Blaine's not sure why a tingling sensation begins to buzz through his skin. All he did was make Kurt genuinely smile.

"You're welcome," he says. "Hey, what were you and Harmony talking about earlier? You both seemed really interested."

"Show choir. Her school really doesn't have one?" Kurt asks, his head shaking in disbelief. When Blaine nods in affirmation, Kurt simply blinks in surprise, his arms crossing. "Sounds awful," he reveals quietly. "Glee club's the only reason why I even bother with my school some days."

Blaine looks at Kurt carefully, measuring the quiet that's between them.

"Sorry," Kurt says with a shake of his head and an apologetic smile. "This is a wedding, not Kurt dumps all his problems."

"It's okay, really!" Blaine assures him. "You can talk to me, remember?"

Kurt just gives him a weak one-shouldered shrug. "It's fine, Blaine, really." He stands up before Blaine can get a word in edgewise. "I should probably go check on my dad now," Kurt says. "Tell Harmony I said it was great to finally meet her."

"Alright, I'll see you around, Kurt," but Kurt's gone before Blaine even finishes his goodbye.

Blaine's still looking at Kurt walking away that he doesn't notice Harmony walking toward their table with a plate of fruit drenched in chocolate. She takes her seat, popping a chocolate covered cherry in her mouth and asking around the berry, "Where'd Kurt go?"

"Talking to his dad," Blaine replies softly, still looking at the path Kurt went. He shakes his head, turning to his girlfriend, saying, "I heard you guys were talking about show choir."

Harmony nods, popping another piece of fruit into her mouth and swallowing before humming an '_mhm_'. "Nice guy, okay glee club, from what I found out."

"_Harmony,_" Blaine sighs softly. He knows that his girlfriend means well, even if it comes across differently.

"I'm not sorry, Blaine," she simply says, plucking a chocolate tuxedoed strawberry from her plate. "I just wanted to look out for you. You never know if he's only pretending," Harmony says earnestly. Blaine gives her a tiny smile, before leaning forward to peck her quickly on the lips. When he pulls away, he can still taste the fruit and chocolate on his lips.

"Thank you," he says quietly, smiling when she chuckles at him feeding her another cherry.

**.x.**

Things get busy for Blaine after the wedding, so he doesn't catch up with Kurt until a few days after. There are texts of "_how are you_" and "_Fine, but my god what is Rachel wearing today?_" between classes and during lunch, but Sectionals are steadily getting closer and Blaine has to catch up with the homework he missed over the weekend because he attended Burt's wedding.

It's just before Warbler rehearsal one afternoon that he gets the text.

_From Kurt, 3:58pm  
_I'm transferring

Blaine pays no attention to Wes' call behind him, nor does he care about the rest of the Council's groans or exasperation as he runs out of the room, his fingers working fast on his phone to get a hold of Kurt.

It takes two rings before Kurt finally picks up.

"Hello?"

"You're transferring?" Blaine asks in lieu of a greeting, still walking away from rehearsal. Nick can cover for him anyway.

Kurt doesn't reply as Blaine makes his way down the halls of Dalton, turning into an empty hallway before ducking into an alcove.

"Kurt?" Blaine tries, making his voice a little more even than earlier. "It's okay, you can tell me."

He hears Kurt sigh heavily on the other end, and Blaine can already imagine how exhausted Kurt must be.

"Karofsky's coming back because the school board overruled his expulsion," Kurt eventually explains, his voice quiet, tired, and Blaine can hear the hint of fear laced in his words. "There were no witnesses to his harassment so they allowed him back to the school."

"Oh, Kurt..."

He hears Kurt sniff, and Blaine's arms begin to itch to hold Kurt close, to at least let Kurt know that he's not alone.

"I told my friends during glee today," Kurt continues after a gulp. "They-they-they – I just –" but he doesn't finish because his voice cracks.

"Kurt," Blaine says, hoping his voice sounds as assuring and confident as he doesn't feel. "It's going to be okay –"

"They-they were all I had l-left, you know?" Kurt sputters, and Blaine aches just hearing Kurt feel this way.

"It's okay," he says, but he doesn't like the lingering taste of the lie on his tongue. "Your safety's the most important thing, right?"

"I know, I know, it just," Kurt breathes, an audible _whoosh_ that Blaine hears through his phone's receiver. "It's hard."

"It's alright, it's not like you won't ever see them again," he says, hoping that it gives Kurt a bit of hope.

Blaine listens as Kurt sniffs, taking another breath. He stays silent as Kurt collects himself, letting out his own sigh of relief when Kurt's breathing becomes more even.

"Thank you," Kurt eventually croaks, his voice hoarse from his crying.

"You don't need to thank someone for being there for you," Blaine points out, because it's really the least any friend can do.

"Yes, I do," Kurt says through another deep breath. "You listened when no one else wanted to."

Blaine doesn't know how to respond to that, so he tries to lighten the tension by taking a different course with the topic.

"So, where are you transferring to?" he asks conversationally. "I'm assuming it's still around Lima...?"

He doesn't expect Kurt to chuckle at his question, but it does give Blaine a surprising flutter in his heart. He doesn't even know why his heart's acting this way – it was only a bell-like giggle.

"You really haven't guessed where I'm transferring to yet, Blaine?" Kurt pokes.

Blaine furrows his brows at Kurt's rebuttal, not fully understanding where this is heading.

"No...?"

He hears Kurt laugh again, and his heart beats in that strange flutter pattern once more, before Kurt finally gives in.

"Blaine, I'm coming to Dalton."

* * *

If reviews loved me as much I loved them, my world would go round ;p

xoxo bjaarcy


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